Balance Work and Family Responsibilities in the US - Essay Example

Reflection on the Case Study d Swedish Daddies Reflection on the Case Study d Swedish Daddies Introduction In the twenty-first century, the position of women in the society has changed remarkably. The changing position of women in the society has resulted from many years of activism and advocacy of womens rights. Women have struggled to ensure that they have equal opportunities to men in the society. Worth noting is the fact that the struggle of women has had positive outcomes. Women can now pursue their dream careers and earn as much as men. However, there are still existing inequalities in the amount of money earned by men and women with men having an advantage. I am happy that it is possible for a woman to pursue both her career and dedicate some time for her family. However, striking a work-life balance is not an easy task considering the structure of many American companies. In my view, the American companies should follow the example of Sweden, Germany, and Iceland. This paper will provide a critical reflection on whether American companies should give both men and women an opportunity to balance work and family. Body Although I am currently undertaking my studies, I intend to have a remarkable balance between work and family. I am pursuing a career that interests me, but I believe that it is good to have a family. Therefore, in the future, I will have a family and I would want to be an influential mother to my children. Therefore, I have to strike a balance between my career and family life. When I begin looking for a job, I will consider companies with flexible working hours so that they can grant me an opportunity to participate positively in the growth of my children. In my view, a parent has a weighty responsibility of ensuring that children grow up to become responsible people. It is the role of a parent to set examples for children. I intend to be such a parent since I want to give my family the attention it deserves (Shaw, 2013). On the other hand, I want to develop a successful career because it will add to my level of satisfaction. In addition, to the financial stability that comes with stable finances that come with a successful career, I want to build a career that can help me make a positive impact in the world. A close analysis of the mindset of corporate America reveals that it does not allow women to balance both career and family commitments. Capitalism has overwhelmed the American society with companies pushing workers to perform more and more. With the increased emphasis on productivity, employees face the compulsion of working for long hours. Therefore, they have limited time to dedicate to their families. It is unfortunate that many of those people rely on third parties to take care of their children. I have the conviction that the American corporate work does not allow Americans to strike a balance between work and family. Many American companies expect employees to put in a lot of hours and move from one workstation to the to the other. With such dynamics in the workplace, many career women have faced critical challenges as they cannot afford a little time for their families (p. 351). For this reason, it is going to be extremely difficult for me to fit into the American corporate world and be able to strike a balance between family and work. The few companies that exhibit a measure of flexibility only allow the employees a few hours that they can dedicate to their families. Many American companies do not give their employees a paid maternity leave. Sadly, for others, they lose their jobs once they opt to go for maternity leave. It would be a desirable thing for the United States to mandate companies to provide the employees with a paid maternity leave. Companies should regard maternity leave as a critical duration that helps employees dedicate quality time to their newborn babies before they can leave them in the hands of others. Denying women maternity leave is highly distressing. Worst still, many companies do not pay their employees during maternity leave. To maintain talent within the organization, American companies should improve their maternity leave policies. The government should demonstrate its support for the family unit by compelling companies to provide paid maternity leaves. The government should also contribute positively to funding maternity leaves (p. 352). As highlighted in the article, countries such as Sweden, Germany, and Iceland have demonstrated their support for the family unit. In addition, these countries have shown support for employees who need to balance between career and family by collaborating with companies and providing paid maternity leaves. Since this approach has worked in these countries, it can be of benefit in the United States. I have the conviction that American companies should be compelled to offer paternity leaves. Evidently, a child requires the attention of both the mother and the father and fathers have been reluctant about taking up their responsibilities in nurturing their little ones. In my view, companies should offer male employees a paternity leave so that they can bond with their children and contribute positively to their wellbeing. Providing both paternity and maternity leaves is a demonstration of a high level of equity between men and women in the society (p. 351). Women should not be overburdened with household responsibilities. It is only fair for men to have an opportunity to contribute positively to the wellbeing of their families. Apparently, men also need to strike a balance between careers and families. I support the idea of introducing specialized organizational arrangements that allow workers to strike a balance between career and child raising. Such companies will be demonstrating their concern for their employees, their families, and the community at large. Companies should promote the wellbeing of a society as one of its corporate social responsibilities. Notably, allowing workers to combine both career and child raising is a move that promotes the stability of the family unit which is the basic unit of any society. Such companies should take the relevant steps so that they can create a favorable environment for workers to combine both careers and raising their children. For example, such companies can introduce the relevant facilities for women to come to work with their children and be able to breastfeed them as required by nutritionists (p. 352). Companies that intend to accommodate workers who need to strike a balance between careers and child raising should allow a measure of flexibility. Flexibility enables workers can be able to work at home as long as they can deliver their expected outcomes. The work environment can be modified to provide the workers with an opportunity to carry out their parental responsibilities as well. Conclusion Companies do not have an obligation to provide employees with an opportunity to balance work and family responsibilities. The obligation of many companies in a capitalist society is to maximize profits. If the companies are to maximize profits, then workers have to put in more hours. However, companies can consider introducing such flexibility as one of the corporate social responsibilities. Since businesses rely on the workers as human capital, they should promote their interest as well. Since workers use their talent and time making profits for the companies, it is only fair for such companies to give back to the workers, by allowing them an opportunity to balance career and family. In the future, companies that will be willing to offer such flexibility are likely to have a better reputation and register positive long-term effects. Therefore, companies should feel obliged to help workers contribute positively to their families. Reference Shaw, W. (2013). Business Ethics: A Textbook with Cases. Boston: Cengage Learning. Read More